Last summer climbing through 3000 feet from ZTH towards LATAN, I got a TCAS on a Phantom flying at 5000 feet VFR crossing left to right. I had the Phantom visual and at no stage was there any danger of a collision.
Passing 4000feet with the Phantom now at 2 miles distance the TCAS gave ‘DESCEND DESCEND’. In accordance with my SOPs I closed the power leavers and started to fly the aeroplane into a descent. At this very moment the Phantom turned towards me and descended, causing the TCAS to shout ‘CLIMB CLIMB’. The power leavers now went to the fire wall and the aeroplane flown into a nose up attitude. The Phantom passed 400 feet beneath me, and waggled his wings in greeting.
If I could have got my hands on that fighter pilot I would have waggled more than just a finger!
I filed a report more in the hope that the fighter pilot could be traced and the problems that he had caused me pointed out to him, but as usual in the South East Med., nothing came of it. Please, if you fly a military jet, unless you are fully aware of what you are doing, stay away from large passenger aeroplanes.